Stainless san mai, core steel testing.......

[Lefty]

Those were some prett amazing posts, Will. Now, I'll follow it up with this. Ready for it... :

Pierre made a slicer from D2 (I believe), and if I'm not mistaken, the owner was really impressed. I think you're onto something. And, I like ice cream.

[WillC]

Yep lets see. I expect the D2 and 3v will be chalk and cheese. Its fun to play in these extremes to learn. Yeah the main concern is the D2 will not be terribly stable on a very thin edge due to larger carbides. Although the grain looks fine would need a micrograph to show up the large undissolved carbides. So I'm hoping I have pulled off something with my moderate HT in not going for extreme hardness and multiple temper cycles, cryo, all this should help reduce the larger carbides and give a more even distribution, but we will see.
I have just found an excellent source for samples of many Bohler and latrobe steels, so more testing to come over future months. Obviously the pm steels get expensive so will be done gradually.

[Don Nguyen]

How much of a difference would CPM D2 make Will? I imagine it would have all the neat properties of D2 but with finer carbides?

[Timthebeaver]

Can I ask why you chose D2 over A2 steel Will?

[WillC]

I really could not say without trying them side by side. If I find a use for D2, I may give it a try.
I tried my sample piece with a very very thin edge, taken to zero in fact at a very shallow angle to see what happened. On a brass rod I got neat semi circular chips about 0.5mm diameter with not too much force. So I took the sample up in temper temperature by about 20 degrees, this stopped the chipping. But with this thin an edge, It was not exactly stable either there were instead little folds in the edge pushed to destruction, but these very limited. But on this thin an edge my 01 would show allot of flex before distorting slightly or ultimately chipping. Putting a secondary bevel on the sample totally changed it, I could now not mark the edge what so ever with a brass rod and again take notches out of my steel bench with no damage at all. So so far it seems the shape of the edge makes a difference, a little bit thicker at the edge gets the most out of this steel and it becomes very very tough in this format. Still thin at the edge but I would not choose this for a line knife I don't think. Just off the strength of this sample I think it would be fantastic for any thicker boning or filleting knife, or even a big carving knife, would be no worries being hammered or sliced through and against bone so long as there is a distinct secondary bevel, and it can still be thin, it just needs to be there and more so than the tiniest of micro bevels as with my carbon/14c28n knives. I will keep this in mind with my test blades. Im now thinking Honesuki
The 3v has arrived also, its a huge chunk, nearly 14mm thick, by 50mm by 1000mm, (smallest they had)! I'll have to grind it down a little to san mai it with some 12mm for plain stainless clad.

[WillC]

@Tim

One steel at a time. This experiment is about taming something with notorious teeth and putting them to best use and with the best possible heat treatment. I do like a challenge. I have pretty much decided D2 will not be suitable for an all-round chef knife, it looks like it can be made to be more suitable with the right HT, but it seems to really excel with a slightly thicker edge, where as others would excel on a thin edge, so I think it would be wasted on anything else. I will still take my samples blades to the thinest possible edge and test them and can thicken the secondary bevel till I reach that magic point. I think they will make some incredible Honesuki or Big sunday joint carver.

A2 looks like a contender for a more wear resistant line knife, I think that would be a vs 3V experiment. But 3V will come first, as a girt big chunk of it just turned up from germany.

[Mucho Bocho]

Big sunday joint carver.

Will, your really tryin to meet the demands of the US market, thats for sure. Several states are changing their laws so that soon there may actully be a market for a Big Sunday Joint Carver.

Myself, I'm looking forward to it.

[WillC]

Ah I think your confusing meat on the bone with camberwell carrots.

[Mucho Bocho]

Ah I think your confusing meat on the bone with camberwell carrots.

Ya had me on that one Will, Had to look it up.

camberwell carrot
A Camberwell is made up of 12 papers that's about 18" long and filled with pure grass. The term comes from the cult classic film Withnail and I.

[WillC]

Thats the baby, great film